A Quantum Internet Protocol Suite Beyond Layering

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum-native protocol suite for the Internet that replaces classical layering with dynamic, distributed orchestration based on entanglement and in-band control, ensuring coherence and scalability.

Contribution

It proposes a novel organizational principle using dynamic composition and local state-driven control, tailored specifically for the quantum Internet, unlike traditional classical layering.

Findings

Enables end-to-end service certification without global synchronization.

Ensures coherence between entanglement evolution and control flow.

Modular and scalable design adaptable to entanglement dynamics.

Abstract

Layering, the protocol organization principle underpinning the classical Internet, is ill-suited to the Quantum Internet, built around entanglement, which is non-local and stateful. This paper proposes a quantum-native organizational principle based on dynamic composition, which replaces static layering with a distributed orchestration fabric driven by the node local state and in-band control. Each node runs a Dynamic Kernel that i) constructs a local PoA of candidate steps to advance a service intent, and ii) executes the PoA by composing atomic micro-protocols into context-aware procedures (the meta-protocols). Quantum packets carry an in-band control-field (the meta-header) containing the service intent and an append-only list of action-commit records, termed as stamps. Successive nodes exploit this minimal, authoritative history to construct their local PoAs. As quantum packets progress, these local commits collectively induce a network-wide, direct acyclic graph that certifies end-to-end service fulfillment, without requiring global synchronization. In contrast to classical encapsulation, the proposed suite enforces order by certification: dependency-aware local scheduling decides what may run at a certain node, stamps certify what did run and constrain subsequent planning. By embedding procedural control within the quantum packet, the design ensures coherence and consistency between entanglement-state evolution and control-flow, preventing divergence between resource state ad protocol logic, while remaining MP-agnostic and implementation-decoupled. The resulting suite is modular, adaptable to entanglement dynamics, and scalable. It operates correctly with or without optional control-plane hints. Indeed, when present, hints can steer QoS policies, without changing semantics. We argue that dynamic composition is the organizing principle required for a truly quantum-native Internet.